New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-07-06
A TRIP TO MOROCCO.
Details Of an overland Journey from
the Seacoast o the Capital.


the Seacoast Q the Capital.
A letter from Morocco to The Lon
don Times says: In countries where
the residence of the court is far remov-
ed from the haunts of civilization, the
journeys of the ministers to visit the
ruling sovereign assume much more
important features than when, as in
Europe, a few hours, or at the most
few days, will take one to one's destin-
alton. Nor is there any country in the
world in which this is better illustrat-
ed than in Morocco. People who are
used only to the means Of travelling
common to Europe can have no idea Of
the preparations necessary for a jour
ney which can only be accomplished
by living in camp and by travelling
all the road on horse back. First there
are letters to write to the sultan,
whose work it is to convey in safety
the party from whatever part of the
coast they land at to the capital, sup
ply beasts Of burden, horses, tents, and
provisions to a certain extent, though
the amount of stores that have to be
brought from Tangier itself is, to
mind as little used to house keeping as
mine, prerosterous.
Though it had been the intention of
the ministers to leave Tangier on the
Thursday before Good Friday, it was
not till the following Saturday that we
got of, owing to stress of weather Her
majesty's ship Curlew had been lying
three days in the bay when, on Satur-
day, April 9, we embarked, and short
ly after midday steamed out of the
straits OF Gibraltar. Early next NOR
ming we sighted Mazaghan, our port
of destination, a seaport town on the
west coast Of Morocco AS we entered
the bay there was as much saluting as
there had been when we left Tan gier
and it was amidst the deafening roar
Of cannon and their binding smoke
that we were rowed ashore. On the
jetty the bascha, or governor Of the
town, met the minister with military
honors, band playing some native air
abominably out of time. The sight
was gay one, the whole town turning
out to see the show, even the city walls
were crowded with gayly dressed
Moors and white robed women. After
tasting OF the hospitality Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Redman, the vice consul and his
wife, we left the town for our camp,
set some three weeks before by the
emperor to owait us. Nothing could
be more picturesque than a row of
Moorish tents pitched on the beach
with the attendants and escorts camp
behind, gay with gorgeously trapped
horses and mules. while camels walked
here there amongst the tents with
their slow, patient tread.
The next morning we started, leaving
Mazaghan about noon with our camp
and escort, the latter consisting of some
three or four hundred soldiers, all
mounted, and some hundred infantry.
This number consisted partly of our
permanent escort, whose duty it was to
take us to Morocco itself, and partly of
men furnished by the governor of the
district. The work now became of a
routine character. At o'clock we
rose, though it was generally near 8
before we got to horse and started on
our days march. The tents were taken
down and packed as soon as we had
left them, and sent on ahead of us on
mules, merely the breakfast tent being
left for our accommo dation. Our escort
changed, except for the permanent
soldiers in every new district we enter
ed--formed in a double line, down
which we rode, the soldiers closing in
behind. After about three hours ride
we stopped for luncheon, tent having
been sent on for that purpose early in
the morning. Here we usually rested
some time, riding on into our camp in
the cool OF the afternoon, the tents and
baggage having passed us while at
lunch, and SO our travelling was easy
and light work, except for occasional
heat and continual dust. On our ar
rival we had tea, if mlk--a luxury in
these parts procurable. About
s we dined, and dined excellently, the
French cook soon falling into the way
of cooking in a tent with charcoal
fire. Perhaps the greatest amusement
OF the day was the powder play, the one
military maneuver OF the Moorish cav
airy. Twelve, sometimes twenty of the
Moors would form themselves in line,
put their horses into a quiet canter till
they got opposite us, salute, wave their
long barreled fantastic guns over their
heads, change from a canter to furi-
Gus gallop, fire at some supposed OBJ
ject, and suddenly stop. TO see the
horses goaded on by the cruel Moorish
spur, straining every nerve in the wild
race, with their saddles of red, gold. or
some lovely eastern shade of blue or
pink, and the riders long white haiks
flying in the wind behind them, was 4
striking and picturesque sight.
On the last day but one Of our march
we obtained our first view of the great
Atlas mountains. We had been climb
ing narrow mountain pass for some
hours, u relief after the dusty plain
that up till now we had been travelling
over, when, on reaching the summit,
we saw the great mountains and the
plain stretched out before us, Morocco